Another good day for Fairy Floss - not quite the same level of selling as yesterday, but if we account for the normal doldrums of Sunday selling, I'd say we probably did even better. My parents even managed to stop by the booth and try a cone, as they were in town for another Storm Large concert. I've got to say, I'm kind of jealous - I really enjoyed the last show. In any case, we made it through another excessively warm day intact, and everyone is boiling with ideas and energy to put towards next weekend.
I spent about half of the day away from the market, myself, trying to give the girls space to work their customer magic. For whatever reason, I just wasn't finding the people or scenes I wanted to pull inspiration out of the air around the market, so I decided to do a little exploring on foot to see if I could prod myself into throwing together some architectural work. Not much luck there, in the end, even after walking 2nd and Skidmore to 10th and Glisan in a grid fashion, just to scout. I did end up running across an arcade by the name of Ground Kontrol, which I had been meaning to drag Eden to for about a year now. I threw a buck in quarters at it, but ended up deciding that the games I didn't already have in emulation form were far better in memory than as compared to modern amusements. Ah well.
I had wanted to go a bit further, but after having spent the better portion of the weekend on my feet and in the sun, I had to call it good - there just wasn't much left in me. Guess I'll just have to pick it up later.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-10
Well, we had an incredible day today. Most businesses that start out at market don't end up making a profit, much less booth fees, during their first weekend. I can't brag that we've paid off the thousands of dollars in investment quite yet, but we for darn sure made more than we spent on supplies and fees. It was an auspicious beginning, and we had a lot of good feedback, both from the general public and from other vendors. Given that it was just plain viciously hot all day, it helped keep people going.
I had a bit of an interesting day, myself - I'd made a special effort to finish up writing a model release to be used both for my personal photography and to grab a few shots for advertising use for Fairy Floss. It didn't end up being the day I thought it might be, in that respect - didn't get a single release signed, nor much of anything appropriate for the advertising, but I did end up in a few conversations that might lead to semi-permanent gigs doing photographic piecework. We'll see where things go.
Actually, most of the shots I liked today were of an amazing band that was busking at Skidmore Fountain, All the Apparatus. Not only do they sound wonderful, but they have incredible energy as well! Apparently they're going to be fairly regular feature on Saturdays, so stop by and check 'em out if you're anywhere in the area.
I had a bit of an interesting day, myself - I'd made a special effort to finish up writing a model release to be used both for my personal photography and to grab a few shots for advertising use for Fairy Floss. It didn't end up being the day I thought it might be, in that respect - didn't get a single release signed, nor much of anything appropriate for the advertising, but I did end up in a few conversations that might lead to semi-permanent gigs doing photographic piecework. We'll see where things go.
Actually, most of the shots I liked today were of an amazing band that was busking at Skidmore Fountain, All the Apparatus. Not only do they sound wonderful, but they have incredible energy as well! Apparently they're going to be fairly regular feature on Saturdays, so stop by and check 'em out if you're anywhere in the area.
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-09
Frantic last minute preparation underway today - mostly working up new bits for the booth more appropriate to the new business and running last minute errands all over Vancouver and Portland. We're all a little manic, but excited to see how things will work out.
Suzanne actually had to head out of town for another commitment for our opening weekend, and thus will only hear about things second hand, but Jon will be around to help us out on Sunday if need be.
Wish us luck!
Suzanne actually had to head out of town for another commitment for our opening weekend, and thus will only hear about things second hand, but Jon will be around to help us out on Sunday if need be.
Wish us luck!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-08
Fairy Floss has been approved for Saturday Market, which means we'll be opening for the first time this weekend. Everyone is in semi-panicked hyper mode, just trying to fit everything in place in time for the big event. Suzanne in particular is little more than a ball of raw energy, bouncing from one idea to another. It's both wonderful and a little frightening to see, honestly - I can see why she's been so successful in the business world in the past.
Record setting heat set in by early afternoon and pretty much turned everybody's brain completely off. The girls and I decided to abandon the house in favor of finding someplace cool to swim. Our first choice, Dougan Falls, was apparently chosen by everyone else in a tri-state area as well - most of the river, even on the way up, was simply chock full of people inches away from one another.
In any case, we moved on to Home Park in Stevenson, which worked out much better - only a couple of dozen people to share the strip of beach with, and quite cool. Even if it took us a while to get situated, it was well worth the trip.
Record setting heat set in by early afternoon and pretty much turned everybody's brain completely off. The girls and I decided to abandon the house in favor of finding someplace cool to swim. Our first choice, Dougan Falls, was apparently chosen by everyone else in a tri-state area as well - most of the river, even on the way up, was simply chock full of people inches away from one another.
In any case, we moved on to Home Park in Stevenson, which worked out much better - only a couple of dozen people to share the strip of beach with, and quite cool. Even if it took us a while to get situated, it was well worth the trip.
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-97
Early start today - I woke at 4:30 and couldn't quite get back to sleep. We said goodbye to Abe and Nichole just before 8 and set out to Crater Lake, as the Rim drive was finally open for the summer, and none of us had ever seen the lake without snow. As it turns out, there was still snow hanging around, but the weather and lighting were amazing... as were the mosquitoes, both in numbers and individual size. Wizard Island in particular was impressive, as the edges had some amazing coloration as the sun hit the shallow water.
The less said about the actual drive home, the better. I would have thought that having split up the drive to Klamath Falls over two days would have made things seem shorter, but it just felt like we had been driving for three days straight. Absolutely exhausting, really.
Ah well, if nothing else, all of my stuff that had been left behind is now north again, and we're all home. That chapter of Kfalls is done, and it's time to move on.
The less said about the actual drive home, the better. I would have thought that having split up the drive to Klamath Falls over two days would have made things seem shorter, but it just felt like we had been driving for three days straight. Absolutely exhausting, really.
Ah well, if nothing else, all of my stuff that had been left behind is now north again, and we're all home. That chapter of Kfalls is done, and it's time to move on.
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-06
I've got to say that Eden's thought of buying a pair of matched sleeping bags to zip together for these trips has worked out quite well - I was perfectly warm all evening, save for a few errant moments where my having rolled the wrong way gave the chilly night air a chance to sweep in between Eden and I, as there was actually quite a lot of room in the combined beast. It made a great contrast to our last evening camping, which had kept me ice cold all night.
Since daylight had me up and at em at 6, again, I took a short walk around the camp to see if I could catch any other beasties waking up with the camera, but mostly struck out, since the cold air forced me back towards camp. Leftover firewood helped me set up a blazing fire to greet Cassie as she woke, which she was appropriately grateful for, not having had a body of her own to snuggle through the night. We threw a water pot on the fire to brew tea before it was time to leave, and amused ourselves watching the myriad chipmunks dart to and fro throughout the camp. I really wish this site was closer to home - they were fabulous characters for the lens.
Our initial departure from the campsite was aborted for a good hour or so, due to Eden having misplaced her Ipod - we tore through both cars and all bags multiple times, but simply didn't come across it until we had given up for the time being and moved on. Eden noticed it in a door pocket while we were at a rest stop, of all things.
Breakfast at IHOP in Bend was delicious, if just slightly disappointing. We saw a bloody huge groundhog just outside the front door, but he proved me right by running away just before I got back from the car with my camera - I had known that there was no chance I'd manage to nab him.
The remainder of the drive to Klamath was uneventful, and long, but it was nice to see Abe, Nichole, and their dogs again. I don't have a lot of friends of my own up north at the moment, and I've missed them.
Since daylight had me up and at em at 6, again, I took a short walk around the camp to see if I could catch any other beasties waking up with the camera, but mostly struck out, since the cold air forced me back towards camp. Leftover firewood helped me set up a blazing fire to greet Cassie as she woke, which she was appropriately grateful for, not having had a body of her own to snuggle through the night. We threw a water pot on the fire to brew tea before it was time to leave, and amused ourselves watching the myriad chipmunks dart to and fro throughout the camp. I really wish this site was closer to home - they were fabulous characters for the lens.
Our initial departure from the campsite was aborted for a good hour or so, due to Eden having misplaced her Ipod - we tore through both cars and all bags multiple times, but simply didn't come across it until we had given up for the time being and moved on. Eden noticed it in a door pocket while we were at a rest stop, of all things.
Breakfast at IHOP in Bend was delicious, if just slightly disappointing. We saw a bloody huge groundhog just outside the front door, but he proved me right by running away just before I got back from the car with my camera - I had known that there was no chance I'd manage to nab him.
The remainder of the drive to Klamath was uneventful, and long, but it was nice to see Abe, Nichole, and their dogs again. I don't have a lot of friends of my own up north at the moment, and I've missed them.
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-05
Today's drive down to Detroit Lake was relatively uneventful, after an initial freakout on my part after seeing just how much space the vehicle had to offer for moving, especially after relatively minimal camping equipment had been loaded. We actually ended up re-strategizing and borrowing vehicles from both Suzanne and Pat, leaving Eden to drive the Escape with Cassie and me all by my lonesome in the PT Cruiser.
Of course, the level of frazzle I incurred meant that we didn't pick up food on the way out for the evening meal, leaving us to try to put together a meal locally. The denizens of Detroit, Oregon apparently subsist entirely upon meals based on potato products and hot dogs, to judge by the items available in the local market. Given this, we opted to make a run back 20 miles to the previous town to see if our luck improved. Unfortunately, not so much, although we did find a charming little shack selling firewood at $5 per cord. Ultimately, we ended up with potato chips, potato salad, coleslaw, corn (which Eden had actually remembered, although I didn't know it earlier), and tea, largely thanks to Reeser's apparently having taken an interest in stocking the local deli case.
For all that, we had a wonderful night, burning away a few hours playing crazy eights, go fish, and war with a $2 pack of cards. We had a great fire going the entire time, as well, keeping us quite comfortably warm, if a little smokey.
Of course, the level of frazzle I incurred meant that we didn't pick up food on the way out for the evening meal, leaving us to try to put together a meal locally. The denizens of Detroit, Oregon apparently subsist entirely upon meals based on potato products and hot dogs, to judge by the items available in the local market. Given this, we opted to make a run back 20 miles to the previous town to see if our luck improved. Unfortunately, not so much, although we did find a charming little shack selling firewood at $5 per cord. Ultimately, we ended up with potato chips, potato salad, coleslaw, corn (which Eden had actually remembered, although I didn't know it earlier), and tea, largely thanks to Reeser's apparently having taken an interest in stocking the local deli case.
For all that, we had a wonderful night, burning away a few hours playing crazy eights, go fish, and war with a $2 pack of cards. We had a great fire going the entire time, as well, keeping us quite comfortably warm, if a little smokey.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-04
Good people watching day today. Eden and Cassie spent the morning minding Lizzie's booth, which meant I was more or less free to wander for the duration. Less 4th of July specific stuff around Portland than I would have assumed, but the pleasant weather still brought people out.
The fourth actually seemed to go by quite quickly... fireworks were great, and considerably more visible this evening, thanks to deciding to wait an extra half hour before starting. All in all, it was a fun day, but all too rapidly through.
Time to be away from civilization for a short while tomorrow - Cassie, Eden, and I are headed to Detroit lake to camp for an evening, then down to Klamath Falls to pick up the remains of my stuff there, then probably another day of camping on the way back. So, most likely, you folks won't see another update for at least a day or two. Until then, see ya!
The fourth actually seemed to go by quite quickly... fireworks were great, and considerably more visible this evening, thanks to deciding to wait an extra half hour before starting. All in all, it was a fun day, but all too rapidly through.
Time to be away from civilization for a short while tomorrow - Cassie, Eden, and I are headed to Detroit lake to camp for an evening, then down to Klamath Falls to pick up the remains of my stuff there, then probably another day of camping on the way back. So, most likely, you folks won't see another update for at least a day or two. Until then, see ya!
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-03
Whelp, I decided to spend a portion of this morning exploring on bike, as part of my recent mission to try to treat some of my health issues by actually getting healthier. Unfortunately, that workout ended up being a lot harder than I anticipated, thanks in part to my bike having degraded significantly while in storage - the quick tire inflation I gave it wasn't nearly enough to bring it up to snuff.
Turns out it's down to two functional gears and the rear brake is half-jammed on - both facts I didn't think were too serious until I was well down the hill. I ended up slightly lost due to subtle curves in the roads I was taking, and landed deep on the south side of St. Johns, which meant a rather long trek back uphill with a bike that just didn't want to go. Oh well, at least it probably helped negate some of the calorie glut I ended up with later in the day - first day in a while that I've managed to go over budget in terms of calories.
This was, of course, mostly due to the wonderful spread that my loving wife and mother-in-law threw together for my late birthday party. We actually had far too much food for the number of people that made it, but that's ok - it's mostly stuff that'll keep (which of course means that I probably won't do any better, calorie-wise, tomorrow). We had a great time just hanging out and talking, and I even got a bit of a chance to talk with Vash and Jess about the comps for their wedding announcement - I've been having fun playing with concepts, even if most of them haven't worked out how I thought they might.
We finished out the night blowing up some of the duplicate fireworks from the two for one deals that we keep on running into - it was quite therapeutic, although I've simply got to find Eden's camera for her - she's getting some great shots (which I'm dumping the best of [in my opinion] to Flickr so you guys can see what she's doing), but I'm not getting much time behind the lens myself, since she keeps on grabbing mine! I certainly can't afford to discourage a habit that I'd love to share with her and that she has some wonderful raw talent for.
Turns out it's down to two functional gears and the rear brake is half-jammed on - both facts I didn't think were too serious until I was well down the hill. I ended up slightly lost due to subtle curves in the roads I was taking, and landed deep on the south side of St. Johns, which meant a rather long trek back uphill with a bike that just didn't want to go. Oh well, at least it probably helped negate some of the calorie glut I ended up with later in the day - first day in a while that I've managed to go over budget in terms of calories.
This was, of course, mostly due to the wonderful spread that my loving wife and mother-in-law threw together for my late birthday party. We actually had far too much food for the number of people that made it, but that's ok - it's mostly stuff that'll keep (which of course means that I probably won't do any better, calorie-wise, tomorrow). We had a great time just hanging out and talking, and I even got a bit of a chance to talk with Vash and Jess about the comps for their wedding announcement - I've been having fun playing with concepts, even if most of them haven't worked out how I thought they might.
We finished out the night blowing up some of the duplicate fireworks from the two for one deals that we keep on running into - it was quite therapeutic, although I've simply got to find Eden's camera for her - she's getting some great shots (which I'm dumping the best of [in my opinion] to Flickr so you guys can see what she's doing), but I'm not getting much time behind the lens myself, since she keeps on grabbing mine! I certainly can't afford to discourage a habit that I'd love to share with her and that she has some wonderful raw talent for.
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-02
Interesting day today - Eden took me to see a park that she spent a good portion of her childhood exploring, down by her grandma's house. It was actually quite fascinating - apparently it originated from a dump site, but has since overgrown quite impressively. Lots and lots of plant growth, with just a few rusty bits of things no longer made sticking out here and there. With the morning dew and afternoon mist, there were a lot of wonderful shots of strategically placed water droplets.
It was also kind of nice to get a bit of a feel for the earlier portion of her life - an intimate and personal view, that I don't often get.
It was also kind of nice to get a bit of a feel for the earlier portion of her life - an intimate and personal view, that I don't often get.
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-07-01
Productive day today, I think. Spent about 3 hours this morning at PCC, trying to sort things out with advisors and financial aid.
The way things work out, the feds won't give you any money to retake a course, which is what I need to do over the next year - it just doesn't count in their totals. What this ends up meaning is that I'm having to take about half and half retakes and new credit courses. I'll be taking 16 credits in the fall and the feds see me as going to school half-time.
The good news is that I managed to line things up so that I just have two very busy days out of the week for school (at least at school), leaving the rest to maybe generate some cash and support Eden between studying. Even though I'll be at school 12 hours a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it's still the best way things could have worked out, I think - it'll give me the most flexibility overall in actually making things work.
For those that might be in range to visit and thus care specifically where I am, the actual schedule is at the end of this post - I'll throw it on google calendar when the actual time gets closer and I can be a bit more sure that this is what I'll end up with.
I also managed to finally kill off a concern that's been bugging me since last year - specifically a doctor's referral way back in November that the school's insurance has been reluctant to pay. Check has been cut and is on it's way, and I have a specific someone to hold responsible if anything goes wrong. Bonus round: I confirmed that pretty much any general practicioner up here that takes Atena will be valid to see over the summer, so I'll be looking into finding one next week to maybe get a neurologist referral and lock down these migraines. They've been a lot less crippling since I stopped the beta blocker, but I'm still concerned.
We capped off the evening with an impulsive visit to the theater, dropping in for a showing of "Knight and Day", with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. I have to say, it was a lot better than I had assumed - I was hoping for just decent, but I think it lands healthily in the rewatchable category, save for the final two minutes, wherein every quotable line from earlier in the movie is hammered into the audience. It didn't really detract from the overall movie, but it felt like a weaker finish than it would have been if they'd just let the characters walk off screen without prattling.
CRN: 46575 - Digital Photography - ART 140 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 3.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
9:00 AM - 11:50 AM TR Moriarty Arts Humanities Bldg 217 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 TBA
Fall 2010 Total Credit Hours: 16.000
CRN: 41919 - Human Anatomy & Physiology I - BI 231 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 4.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
6:00 PM - 7:20 PM TR Jackson Hall 104 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 Salti (P)E-mail
CRN: 43050 - Human Anat & Phy I (Lab) - BI 231 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 0.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
7:30 PM - 8:50 PM TR Jackson Hall 219 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 Salti (P)E-mail
CRN: 44721 - General Chemistry (Lab) - CH 104 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 0.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
3:00 PM - 5:50 PM T Jackson Hall 214 21-SEP-2010 - 07-DEC-2010 Hart (P)E-mail
CRN: 40094 - General Chemistry - CH 104 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 5.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
12:30 PM - 2:20 PM TR Jackson Hall 104 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 Hart (P)E-mail
TBA TR TBA 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 Hart (P)E-mail
CRN: 41080 - Introduction to C - CS 133U - 0 Status: RW Credits: 4.000 Campus: Distance Learning
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
TBA Distance Learning LEARN 20-SEP-2010 - 11-DEC-2010 Nautiyal (P)E-mail
TBA Distance Learning LEARN 20-SEP-2010 - 11-DEC-2010 Nautiyal (P)E-mail
The way things work out, the feds won't give you any money to retake a course, which is what I need to do over the next year - it just doesn't count in their totals. What this ends up meaning is that I'm having to take about half and half retakes and new credit courses. I'll be taking 16 credits in the fall and the feds see me as going to school half-time.
The good news is that I managed to line things up so that I just have two very busy days out of the week for school (at least at school), leaving the rest to maybe generate some cash and support Eden between studying. Even though I'll be at school 12 hours a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it's still the best way things could have worked out, I think - it'll give me the most flexibility overall in actually making things work.
For those that might be in range to visit and thus care specifically where I am, the actual schedule is at the end of this post - I'll throw it on google calendar when the actual time gets closer and I can be a bit more sure that this is what I'll end up with.
I also managed to finally kill off a concern that's been bugging me since last year - specifically a doctor's referral way back in November that the school's insurance has been reluctant to pay. Check has been cut and is on it's way, and I have a specific someone to hold responsible if anything goes wrong. Bonus round: I confirmed that pretty much any general practicioner up here that takes Atena will be valid to see over the summer, so I'll be looking into finding one next week to maybe get a neurologist referral and lock down these migraines. They've been a lot less crippling since I stopped the beta blocker, but I'm still concerned.
We capped off the evening with an impulsive visit to the theater, dropping in for a showing of "Knight and Day", with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. I have to say, it was a lot better than I had assumed - I was hoping for just decent, but I think it lands healthily in the rewatchable category, save for the final two minutes, wherein every quotable line from earlier in the movie is hammered into the audience. It didn't really detract from the overall movie, but it felt like a weaker finish than it would have been if they'd just let the characters walk off screen without prattling.
CRN: 46575 - Digital Photography - ART 140 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 3.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
9:00 AM - 11:50 AM TR Moriarty Arts Humanities Bldg 217 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 TBA
Fall 2010 Total Credit Hours: 16.000
CRN: 41919 - Human Anatomy & Physiology I - BI 231 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 4.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
6:00 PM - 7:20 PM TR Jackson Hall 104 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 Salti (P)E-mail
CRN: 43050 - Human Anat & Phy I (Lab) - BI 231 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 0.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
7:30 PM - 8:50 PM TR Jackson Hall 219 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 Salti (P)E-mail
CRN: 44721 - General Chemistry (Lab) - CH 104 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 0.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
3:00 PM - 5:50 PM T Jackson Hall 214 21-SEP-2010 - 07-DEC-2010 Hart (P)E-mail
CRN: 40094 - General Chemistry - CH 104 - 0 Status: RW Credits: 5.000 Campus: Cascade Campus
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
12:30 PM - 2:20 PM TR Jackson Hall 104 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 Hart (P)E-mail
TBA TR TBA 21-SEP-2010 - 09-DEC-2010 Hart (P)E-mail
CRN: 41080 - Introduction to C - CS 133U - 0 Status: RW Credits: 4.000 Campus: Distance Learning
Time Days Where Date Range Instructors
TBA Distance Learning LEARN 20-SEP-2010 - 11-DEC-2010 Nautiyal (P)E-mail
TBA Distance Learning LEARN 20-SEP-2010 - 11-DEC-2010 Nautiyal (P)E-mail
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